[AirAttack]

I want a 17 pb Bad!

I read in some forum that there was an issue with speed, maybe due to the video card. True?

Has anyone eles had any problems with the 17 pb?

What kind of improvements might should Apple solve by the time Tiger comes out?

Thanx for any advice

[Messiahtosh]

You could buy now, sell in December for a slight loss, and buy a PowerBook G5 in January, as I expect Apple to release one at the Macworld in San Franciscon in early January.

[AirAttack]

Do you really think Apples ready to roll our the G5 PB in Jan.? What about the heat issues? Do you think the G5 PB will be significantly bigger than the current G4 PB?

[DMBand0026]

Well, the general thought now is that since Apple can fit a G5 into a 2" enclosure (iMac G5), they can probably pull off one inch slimmer.

However, that's much easier said than done, and only time will tell. I have heard a few things about the video card being inadequate on the 17", but I don't own one, I have a 12" which I love.

So the long and short of it is...it's never a bad time to buy a PowerBook. And remember, January is a long way off, not only that, but that's the absolute earliest that Apple would release it. I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't happen than.

So if you need it, buy now. It is certainly an awesome machine.


Edit: Almost forgot. It's pretty widely believed that the heat issues have been solved, now all they have to worry about is power. Who wants a notebook that gets 50 minutes on a charge?

[psmith2.0]

I think they can get a G5 in a one inch enclosure. Problem is, it'll be three feet wide, so...

The 30" CinemaBook, anyone? You wanted a G5 in there, didn't you? Just GOTTA have one...

[AirAttack]

Thanks I totaly forgot about the power issue.

Also that reminded me, is there a car charger for the PowerBook?

Would it be safe to use my FireWire (iPod charger) to charge the Powerbook?

[darshu]

Originally Posted by AirAttack Thanks I totaly forgot about the power issue. Also that reminded me, is there a car charger for the PowerBook? Would it be safe to use my FireWire (iPod charger) to charge the Powerbook?

I don't know if there is a car charger, however it's quite likely. But you can most certainly not use your iPod charger to charge the powerbook. At best it simply won't work, at worst it may damage either the adapter or the Powerbook. A normal 6 pin firewire port on a computer is designed to supply power... but not recharge it back into the battery, which would require a bunch of additional circuitry.

It would be cool if that did work though, I always thought it would be neat to be able to charge your powerbook off your iPod in case of emergency...

[Luca]

I don't think there are any real problems with the current PowerBooks. The only reason to hold off would be if you want to wait for the next revision. If you can wait until January, you might want to do that. There may or may not be a G5 PowerBook by then, but it'll almost certainly be updated somehow by that time.

[ast3r3x]

I have a 64mb 9600 processor, which handles games pretty well at native 1280x854. I would suggest adding RAM though, that will help a lot! Also you might want to think about upgrading the graphics card from 64 to 128mb if you are worried. Either way you'll get the large computer, and love it.

[Luca]

From what I've heard, upgrading the video from 64 MB to 128 MB doesn't really help with gaming. Maybe it'll make Exposé slightly faster if you have a ton of windows open, and it'll help if you have an external monitor connected, but that's about all I can think of. Otherwise it should be basically the same. I'd say your money would be better spent on upgrading the hard drive to 5400 RPM, or getting more RAM.

[psmith2.0]

There was that article/test someone posted here a while back that addressed this very thing (128MB graphics vs. 5400rpm drive...which made the most difference).

I remember the differences in getting the 5400rmp drive were quite drastic over the stock 4200. The 64MB > 128MB jump didn't seem to make much of a difference, other than a split second or two on some games or something? I can't recall exactly.

But the gist of the thing was the faster drive yielded better, noticeable performance gains over the VRAM bump.

Anyone remember that site or article? It's that site that does those kinds of articles. I've seen stuff from them linked here and elsewhere many times.

After reading that article, I'll be sure to spring for the 5400rpm BTO next time around...

[Mac+]

... probably this article from BareFeats.

[Messiahtosh]

I wouldnt underestimate Apple's engineering ability, and I would bet that the G5 PowerBook is closer than many think. I'm going to stick by my MWSF 05 guess.

[Moogs]

I am a little biased because the people I know who've had one have all had performance issues with teh 17" PB, so my take is that no time is a good time to buy one, until they improve the architecture / get a better video card in there (or something). Get a 15" and use the money saved towards RAM.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by Mac+ ... probably this article from BareFeats.

Yep, that's the one! Thanks for the link. I couldn't remember the name of the sight to save my life!

[ast3r3x]

Originally Posted by Moogs I am a little biased because the people I know who've had one have all had performance issues with teh 17" PB, so my take is that no time is a good time to buy one, until they improve the architecture / get a better video card in there (or something). Get a 15" and use the money saved towards RAM.

What is different about the 17" that it's a poor performer? I've been hearing that, I guess, but I'm not understanding why. I mean, I'm pretty happy with my 15" from last year (1.25GHz) and the new ones are even faster. No G5, but still they are faster

[Moogs]

The best I can figure is that the extra screen real-estate, being driven by a card thats not up for the task, bogs the system down when its put under a heavy load. I don't know what it is, to be honest, but it's quite apparent on all the 17"PBs I've used.

[Luca]

That can't be it. It's something else. 1440x900 is not THAT much screen real estate, and the video card and processor are both certainly up to the task.

I find that very strange. I'd have to use one I guess. But it's not that driving 1440x900 versus 1280x854 pixels is going to change much.

[Moogs]

It's hard to say; the screen thing is the most obvious aspect that requires more horsepower to make the machine "go", but you're probably right in that it's something more. Maybe the specific mobo layout of the 17" has something different about it that causes bottlenecks to show up more easily than the other two models?

[ast3r3x]

Well I'm glad I go the 15". I think it's the perfect size, and since I've added my RAM, it's everything I wanted it to be.

[DMBand0026]

Originally Posted by ast3r3x Well I'm glad I go the 15". I think it's the perfect size, and since I've added my RAM, it's everything I wanted it to be.

Dude, chicks dig the 12". It's compact, yet exactly the size they need

ast3r3x is right though, whatever you end up buying, get RAM, and lots of it.

[ast3r3x]

Originally Posted by DMBand0026 Dude, chicks dig the 12". It's compact, yet exactly the size they need ast3r3x is right though, whatever you end up buying, get RAM, and lots of it.

Just so everyone knows, DMBand took out his optical drive and replace it with a homemade drive he created that vibrates...which is why it's perfect for the girls

[Moogs]

"Hey baby... wanna sit on my Powerbook?"

[DMBand0026]

Originally Posted by ast3r3x Just so everyone knows, DMBand took out his optical drive and replace it with a homemade drive he created that vibrates...which is why it's perfect for the girls

Yeah dude! Who needs CDs and DVDs when you've got naked chicks busting down your door just to see your PowerBook.